THE FINAL THROES of the summer saltwater salmon season, plenty of returning coho and a few chinook in West End Rivers, deer turning skittish, mushrooms sprouting in the damp earth and some crisp and cool sunrises and sunsets.
Fall is here and let’s celebrate the season.
“Fall has sprung big-time, said Brian Menkal of Brian’s Sporting Goods and More (360-683-1950) in Sequim.
“With all the rain we’ve had coming in, there are plenty of salmon in the Sol Duc all the way from the salmon hatchery down to [Three Rivers],” Menkal said.
“I went on a Hoh River trip with Pat Neal last week and hooked nine, landed one. Any more rain coming in should bring lots and lots more fish through the rivers.
“We have plenty of water now and there were signs of fish all through the Hoh, the Bogey, Sol Duc and even more coming into the Quillayute. It’s a great time to get out there.
A reminder that the Quillayute is closed to recreational fishing on Mondays through October and closed Tuesday and Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Early archery deer season ends today with muzzleloaders taking to the field Saturday in advance of modern rifle season beginning Saturday, Oct. 12.
All the early rains have made conditions prime for hunters.
“All that wet has made things really quiet out in the woods,” Menkal said.
“It’s that time of the year where even if you are not a fisherman, you can get out there and look for chanterelles or get them while you are scouting for deer.”
Menkal’s pumped for October, which I am also partial toward — nature’s bounty, crisp fall weather, football, friends — October has got it all.
“The month of October there is so much happening for an outdoors person,” Menkal said. “Salmon fishing, hunting seasons for deer, duck, goose, pheasants. The weather is still pretty nice, so you can go hiking and biking and don’t get really hot.”
Get out there and enjoy all that is available.
Walk the land
Saturday is National Public Lands Day with fee-free access to all Washington State Parks and Olympic National Park.
No Discover Pass will be required for day-use visits to state parks and no entrance fee will be charged to enter any national park nationwide.
Two more State Parks free days are available in 2019: Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 11 and Friday, Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving.
There is one more free national park day set in 2019 — Veterans Day.
Fort Worden boat launch
An open house to discuss proposed improvements to the existing boat launch and other facilities at Fort Worden State Park will be held Wednesday in Port Townsend.
The open house will be held in the Friends’ Barn at Fort Townsend State Park, 1370 Old Fort Townsend Road, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The existing boat launch was built in the 1970s and is an ideal location for quick, safe access to Mid-Channel Bank or nearby Point Wilson.
Peak usage occurs during the summer crabbing and salmon seasons. On a busy summer day, up to 50 vessels (both motorized and non-motorized) use the launch.
State Parks has said the boat launch has long been plagued with maintenance challenges.
Large amounts of sand and debris build up around the boat ramp.
This limits boaters’ access and impeding the natural movement of sand that provides habitat for important nearshore marine species.
The proposal replaces the existing two-lane boat ramp with a one-lane elevated design, which will decrease the ramp’s footprint over the water and help restore the movement of sand.
Parks staff also will share information on the current plan to unify the park’s marine area, including replacing the pier which was built in 1944.
In addition to this meeting, the public can comment online at bit.ly/FortWordenMarineArea.
Comment on rules in PT
Fish and Wildlife employees will accept public comment on simplifying fishing rules for shellfish, marine and forage fish at a meeting Tuesday in Port Townsend.
The meeting will be held at the department’s office at Point Hudson Marina, 375 Hudson Street in Port Townsend from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
These proposals continue the rule simplification process that began in 2017 with updates to sport regulations for freshwater species.
One of the changes proposed would align bottomfish regulations east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line with regulations west of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line in Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay).
Other items among this year’s proposals: changes to daily limits, size limits, and areas for scallops, urchins and sea cucumbers and numerous clarifications and updates to language for existing regulations.
The full list of proposed changes is available at tinyurl.com/PDN-ProposedRules19.
The public can comment on the proposed rules through Oct. 17.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission also will hear testimony on these proposals during its Oct. 18-19 meeting in Olympia.
For more information, visit wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission.
Salmon/steelheading
Menkal will offer his two-part Introduction to Salmon and Steelhead Fishing course at his store, 609 W. Washington St., No. 21 in Sequim, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday with part two following at the same time Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Menkal knows a ton of tips, tricks and locations to fish around the North Olympic Peninsula and offers the course for $50 per person plus tax.
Menkal asks attendees to RSVP to 360-683-1950.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
